Can I pick up turf from the farm?
Yes, ring to make an appointment prior to pick up.
What are the soil requirements?
If required, sandy loam/organic under turf soil will give your new lawn a head start and is easy to level.
How much soil do I need?
You will need to measure the area you would like to turf.
20 sqm of area = 1 cubic metre of soil at 50mm depth
How do I measure area?
Square area = Length x width
Triangle area = ½ the base x height
How do I prepare the area before laying turf?
Ensure all rocks, grass and debris are removed from topsoil bed where turf is to be laid. You may need to spray the area to be turfed to get rid of the weeds. Level out the soil making it as smooth and flat as possible, making sure the water will fall in the correct direction. A light application of organic fertiliser such as dynamic lifter may be blended into the soil bed.
Turf should be laid on damp cool soil, as hot dry soil will damage the root system.
How do I lay turf?
Ideally start from a straight edge path/garden bed etc.
Brick pattern is not necessary as this is very time consuming and the joins are only visible for up to 6 mowings.
Butting the edges up to each other and pushing turf up alongside each other with no gaps or overlaping is more important to get a smooth finish on your newly laid lawn. To contour around garden edging, use a large knife or box cutter with blade extended.
Watering should commence immediately after laying. You can begin watering as you lay to prevent drying. Soak to a depth of approx 100mm or until ponding is obvious. Lift a piece of turf and check that water is reaching the required depth.
Watering promotes root growth, leaf hydration and allows nutrient uptake to prevent leaf brown off.
You should maintain watering at regular intervals, at least twice daily, more if needed until turf shows signs of strong growth (approx 10-14 days), then frequency can be reduced.
Rolling may be necessary if turf is laid unevenly.
When should I start mowing?
Mowing can commences around 2-3 weeks after installing turf; ensuring turf has adequately rooted down. Lift cutting deck as to just remove any seed head and thrash that maybe visible. Doing this will encourage lateral growth. If turf is laid during winter months, you may need to delay mowing until lawn has adequately rooted down.
Never remove more than 25% of the overall length of the grass at any one mow, so reduce height gradually. Couch 15 to 30mm, Buffalo 30 to 50mm.
Should I fertilize before or after laying turf?
Pre fertilizing is OK but not ideal. Post fertilizing has achieved best results 2/3 weeks after installing, which allows for greater nutrient uptake. Using a complete fertilizer is best.
How should I manage disease and pests affecting my lawn?
Lawn grub (armyworm) can be a problem for freshly laid turf and heavy infestation can kill patches of your lawn. Using any commercial lawn grub pesticide according to direction will alleviate this problem. A good tip to see if lawn grub is the problem, you simply lay a mat over the affected area before dark then first thing in the morning remove mat and grubs should be visible directly under the mat.